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CBS News
06-07-2025
- General
- CBS News
How Lady Liberty became a beacon for immigrants
At the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., stands a 46-inch-tall model of an American icon – the Statue of Liberty – whose origin story may surprise you. "When this idea began, it was really about liberty; it wasn't about immigration," said Lonnie Bunch, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, That's right: Lady Liberty had nothing to do with immigration when she was first proposed in 1865. "The United States had ended slavery," said Bunch. "That's why, if you look, she's standing on the chains and shackles." A model of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi's statue "Liberty," at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. Lucia RM Martino/Smithsonian American Art Museum But it would take more than two decades for the idea to be realized. While the statue itself would be paid for by the people of France, the Americans would be responsible for its prodigious base. "Almost anything you do involving culture or art, you gotta raise money for," said Bunch. And so, this model came to our shores in 1883, three years before her full-sized sister, to drum up support. She stood in the Capitol Rotunda, to no avail. Congress declined to foot the bill. "Many people in the United States thought, you know, what is this? Is this a New York City thing? And why should we care about it if it's just New York City?" said Bunch. One supporter, 34-year-old poet Emma Lazarus, concerned about the plight of Russian Jews seeking asylum in America, penned a sonnet called "The New Colossus" for a fundraising auction. In it, she imagined Lady Liberty as a "mother of exiles" welcoming the "huddled masses" through the "golden door" to America. "That's a great poem," said Bunch. "It's important, but it really became, more than anything else, the best way to understand the possibilities of immigration in America." At the time, the poem got little notice. At the statue's dedication in 1886, not a single speaker mentioned immigration. A parade of ships marks the inauguration of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, Oct. 28, 1886. Library of Congress But Lazarus' poem turned out to be a prophecy. In 1892, within sight of the statue, America's first-ever immigration facility opened at Ellis Island. By the 1920s, more than 12 million immigrants from Europe had come through Ellis Island. "There are stories of people pulling into this harbor, seeing that symbol, and just dropping to their knees and weeping," said author and journalist Jia Lynn Yang. And very few people were turned away, even if they lacked documents. "If you can get to the border, you're in," said Yang. But, she notes, not all Americans were prepared to welcome them: "You have to remember, the country is still relatively small at this time. So, it's pretty shocking to the American people to have millions of people showing up from Italy, Eastern Europe, different religions, they're Catholic, they're Jewish, different foods, different languages." And while it might strain credulity today to imagine people back then thinking that Italians couldn't assimilate, Yang said, "People were writing columns and long essays saying these people don't belong here." And so, in 1924 President Calvin Coolidge signed the Johnson-Reed Act, which created a system of ethnic quotas that essentially banned immigration from countries outside of Western and Northern Europe. It was the first major immigration restriction since 1882's Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred the entry of Chinese laborers. But the 1924 law didn't apply to countries on this side of the Atlantic. Yang said, "The thinking was, these are our neighbors. We need to make it feel like they're welcome to come and go." So while there were no "illegal" immigrants from Mexico during this period, for more than 40 years – through a global depression, a world war, and the Holocaust – the door was virtually shut to everyone else. By the 1950s, the number of immigrants was getting smaller and smaller. "Talk to somebody in, like, 1955, they're like, Yeah, immigrants, that's old news," said Yang. And that would've been the case forever and ever, except that for 40 years, a group of lawmakers and activists felt that the law was discriminatory, and they wanted to change it. Among them: Brooklyn Congressman Manny Celler. He voted against the 1924 quotas as a first-year representative, and for decades fought to make America more welcoming to immigrants. Then, in 1958, a Massachusetts senator with his sights on the White House published a pamphlet calling for a change to the nation's laws. John F. Kennedy's "A Nation of Immigrants" would introduce the now-ubiquitous phrase. Yang said, "The book is trying to establish almost a new American history that says these people who came, you know, decades ago, you may have forgotten them; this is what makes America American. It's the fact that we are a nation of immigrants" – a sentiment new to a lot of Americans' ears. After Kennedy's assassination, at the height of the civil rights movement, the reformers (including Manny Celler, who was still serving in Congress) seized the moment, and on October 3, 1965, at (where else?) the Statue of Liberty, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act, which ended the ethnic quota system. "Those who do come will come because of what they are, and not because of the land from which they sprung," he said. But even the law's most ardent backers didn't anticipate just how many people would end up coming from all over the world. Since 1965, when that law went into effect, the share of foreign-born people living in America has slowly crept up to about 14 percent of the U.S. population – roughly the same as it was back in 1924 when the ethnic quotas were imposed. Yang says that today, if you meet someone and their family is from Africa, the Middle East or Asia, it's likely because of the paper that Johnson signed in 1965. "This law really transformed the whole country," she said. In a twist, the 1965 law limited immigration from Mexico and the rest of the Americas, setting the stage for the illegal immigration crisis at the Southern border. But it also allowed Jia-Lynn Yang's own parents to come to the U.S. after escaping the civil war in China, a fact she hadn't realized until writing a book about this chapter of the immigration story. She said, "When I looked into this history, I really understood how contingent my family's presence is here. I took it completely for granted, right? I grew up steeped in Statue of Liberty, Emma Lazarus poem, nation of immigrants – of course we were allowed to come here. It's a nation of immigrants." Yang said her parents felt deeply lucky to have come to America. "And I have two children now," she said. "Our family's entire story changed because we were allowed to come here. And now everything after me in the family tree is an American story." Surmising the posture and demeanor of Lady Liberty, Secretary Bunch said, "She's not a warrior. But she is powerful." And that power remains undiminished, says Bunch, who believes it is the immigrants themselves who gave the Statue of Liberty its meaning. "They imbued it with this notion that this is a symbol of the possibility of America," he said. "That's why I call it a statue of promise." FROM THE ARCHIVES: Charles Kuralt on the Statue of Liberty (Video) The reopening of Ellis Island to the public during America's bicentennial year prompted CBS News' Charles Kuralt to offer his thoughts on the sight of Lady Liberty as viewed by generations of immigrants, and on the diversity of a nation that welcomed those from every land seeking a safe haven and opportunity. For these new Americans, Kuralt said, "They carried our greatness in their baggage." (Originally broadcast May 28, 1976.) For more info: Story produced by Mark Hudspeth. Editor: Ed Givnish. See also:
CBS News
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
This week on "Sunday Morning" (July 6)
The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. "Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.) Guest host: Mo Rocca A view of the Statue of Liberty. TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images COVER STORY: How Lady Liberty became a beacon for immigrants The Statue of Liberty, France's gift to the United States, was originally viewed as a tribute to the end of slavery. But poet Emma Lazarus reimagined Lady Liberty as a "mother of exiles," welcoming immigrants to the shores of America. Correspondent Mo Rocca looks at how the opening of Ellis Island, the end of restrictive immigration quotas, and John F. Kennedy's evocation of the United States as "a nation of immigrants" transformed our country, in this entry in the "Sunday Morning" series "These United States." For more info: ALMANAC: July 6 "Sunday Morning" looks back at historical events on this date. SPORTS: The world of Rubik's speed cubing There are 43 quintillion possible permutations on a Rubik's cube – that's 43 billion billion! But for some, solving a cube is child's play, as correspondent David Pogue discovered when he met with some speed cubers – including a pair of remarkable world-record holders who are only eight years old. For more info: Ketchup - the ubiquitous condiment that seems to go with everything. CBS News FOOD: Ketchup's sweet and sour history There's a lot you don't know about that most popular of condiments, ketchup - its origin, its manufacture, and (as correspondent Luke Burbank finds out) why some people who spot a ketchup bottle see red. [Originally aired Nov. 19, 2017.] For more info: Singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter. MUSIC: Sabrina Carpenter on the biggest misperceptions about her "Manchild," the new single from Sabrina Carpenter's upcoming album "Man's Best Friend," debuted last month at #1. It's the latest milestone for the singer-songwriter, whose road to superstardom exploded, in part, because of COVID. Carpenter talks with correspondent Tracy Smith about her "Short n' Sweet" tour; the advice her mother gave her; and how she deals with pressure (caffeine helps). [An earlier version of this story originally aired October 6, 2024.] To hear Sabrina Carpenter perform "Manchild" click on the video player below: For more info: PASSAGE: In memoriam "Sunday Morning" remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week. A jarring sight: Thousands of varieties of mustard can be found at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wis. CBS News FOOD: A museum that truly cuts the mustard In 1991, Barry Levenson quit his job as an assistant attorney general in Wisconsin to follow his true passion: mustard. Founder of the National Mustard Museum, in Middleton, Wis., Levenson's collection of mustards has grown to more than 7,000 varieties from around the world. Correspondent Luke Burbank meets a man captivated by a beloved condiment. For more info: Lecturer and author Mark Twain (1885-1910), in an undated Ron Chernow on the life of Mark Twain Writer Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain, not only redefined American literature in the 1800s; he helped create the very idea of what it meant to be an American. "Sunday Morning" national correspondent Robert Costa visits Twain's boyhood home in Hannibal, Missouri, and sits down with Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow to discuss his latest book, "Mark Twain," which delves into the life, complexities and sardonic humor of a man who remains a vital presence in American culture. For more info: Graffiti is the least of their problems: Murray Hamilton, Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider in "Jaws" (1975). Universal Pictures MOVIES: Inside "Jaws": Making the film classic Fifty years ago, a monumental movie premiered that forever changed Hollywood: Steve Spielberg's "Jaws," adapted from Peter Benchley's bestselling novel, which became the highest-grossing film of its time. Richard Dreyfuss returned to Martha's Vineyard, which hosted the film production in 1974, and talked with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz about the notoriously difficult shoot that nonetheless birthed a blockbuster. Mankiewicz also talks with actress Lorraine Gary and screenwriter Carl Gottlieb about their experiences working with Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and a young director making his first big-budget studio film. For more info: COMMENTARY: To tip or not to tip: That is David Sedaris' question The humorist has some thoughts about gratuities, especially when they're pre-programmed onto a screen. For more info: FOOD: Emulsifying the truth behind mayonnaise Eggs, oil and vinegar come together to form a contested condiment: Mayonnaise, long thought to have been improvised by an 18th century French military chef who was short on cream. But some believe mayo dates back to the Spain of antiquity. Correspondent Luke Burbank seeks to spread a little light on mayonnaise's origins. For more info: NATURE: TBD WEB EXCLUSIVES: FROM THE ARCHIVES: The infamous 1916 shark attacks that inspired "Jaws" (Video) The scariest word at any beach has to be the warning: "SHARK!" Although attacks by the sea predator are rare, they nonetheless create fear among beachgoers. Correspondent Anna Werner looked back at a fateful string of shark encounters along the New Jersey shore a century ago that stirred the public imagination, and inspired Peter Benchley's bestselling novel "Jaws," in a "Sunday Morning" report that originally aired June 12, 2016. GALLERY: Notable deaths in 2025 A look back at the esteemed personalities who left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity. The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Executive producer is Rand Morrison. DVR Alert! Find out when "Sunday Morning" airs in your city "Sunday Morning" also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.) Full episodes of "Sunday Morning" are now available to watch on demand on and Paramount+, including via Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon FireTV/FireTV stick and Xbox. Follow us on Twitter/X; Facebook; Instagram; YouTube; TikTok; Bluesky; and at You can also download the free "Sunday Morning" audio podcast at iTunes and at Now you'll never miss the trumpet!
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Under the baobab: Spring brings graduations, goodbyes and events in Happy Valley
Now the dreary winter's over, fled with him are grief and pain, When the trees their bloom recover, then the soul is born again. —Moses Ibn Ezra (Emma Lazarus) In Happy Valley the coming of spring means a blossoming of possibilities, a time of planting and hoping. Our harden hearts and earth that filled with grief and pain now recover with expectation. We cautiously sow tender tomato seedlings. We plant the squash seeds. We happily watch our own sheltered seeds blossom as they come into their own as thousands graduate from colleges and high schools. Though it is time for the young, it is also time for us old heads to look back and recall from whence we have come. The earth is made more fertile by memories. The Obama family honored Marian Robinson, Michelle's mother, on the anniversary of her joining the ancestors in May 2024. She was the 'babysitter-in chief' during the time they were in the White House. Around town Congrats to the Penn State men's lacrosse team. They opened the NCAA tournament with a 13-11 victory against Colgate in front of a packed Panzer Stadium. Four Penn Staters were selected All Americans: Hunter Aquino, who led the team in assists with 20; senior Matt Traynor, who led the team with 36 goals; and Alex Ross and Kevin Parnham. Traynor and Parnham were drafted to the PLL last week. The team will face Notre Dame in the next round on Saturday in Annapolis, MD. The Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications held a special celebration to say goodbye to its dean, Marie Hardin, who is off to become the president of Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. The joyous but nostalgic ceremony was attended by Dean Steve Carpenter of Arts and Architecture, Sue Paterno, former Penn State President Graham Spanier, former faculty senate president John Nichols and others. Another spring ritual we observe is the 63rd annual AAUW Used Book Sale, which will be held from May 17-20 at the PSU Agricultural Arena. Over a quarter of million books will be available at really reasonable prices. The proceeds are the economic engine that enables AAUW to fund their activities and operations. The State Theatre presented an outstanding and informative documentary, 'One on One,' about John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono during the late '60s and early '70s when the two celebrities were very active in the peace movement. It was particularly poignant recalling when they lived downtown in the Village before moving up to The Dakota. The film was produced by their son Sean. In big developments, Penn State administration announced the seven commonwealth campuses that are under consideration for closure: DuBois, Fayette, Mount Alto, New Kensington, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and York. And 400 people attended a meeting after the announcement of the proposed route of the State College Area Connector Project. The route will displace 16 residences and affect 19 farms, two businesses and one park. And the resistance continues. The Lighting Candles For Peace vigil is held each Monday between 5-5:30 at the Allen Street gates. The ACLU sponsored the third presentation of its series: 'Protecting Constitutional Rights.' Dr. Kristy Ganoe of Penn State led a discussion on 'Project 2025, Conservative Mandate or Manifesto.' The next and last workshop will be led by Ray Bilger, senior national security officer, on May 19 from 7-8 p.m. at the University Baptist and Brethren Church on Burrows Street in State College. He will discuss 'Contemporary Threats to National Security and the Constitution.' There is an old saying, 'if you want to go fast, run alone, but if you need to go far, walk together.' Brothers and sisters, we have a long way to go if we are going to save democracy. We are not alone. We are the people and we are loved. Charles Dumas is a lifetime political activist, a professor emeritus from Penn State, and was the Democratic Party's nominee for U.S. Congress in 2012. He lives with his partner and wife of 50 years in State College.
